Starless Midnight
by MrsPuppetEx
Summary: With freedom comes a whole new set of problems that lead Noelle on an adventure she'd never have imagined. She isn't sure who to trust and who to steer clear from, though this strange brunet seems to know more than enough to teach her the ways of the world. /M for a reason/Twilight owned by S.M./OcxUnknown/
1. Demons

**A/N;** _I know I haven't finished my story High Noon and Falling Stars yet, but I wanted to toss this idea out there for people. It won't be updated as often, perhaps once a week? Anyways, the end pairing isn't decided yet, but I'm leaning towards either Alistair or Jasper, though I wouldn't be opposed to pairing Noelle with Garrett. I just wanted to make them more of friends than anything as it would be more cliché to make her rescuer into her lover, yeah? Anyways, reviews with suggestions are always welcome! Enjoy!_

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 ** _Word Count:_** _4,322_

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Darkness.

That's all I've known for the untold amount of time that I've been in this godforsaken place, simply darkness. It's such a sad and pathetic word, meaning the absence of light. Alternatively, darkness can mean the absence of life or positive emotions within one's heart. That seemed rather fitting to me, honestly, as I gazed off blankly to some unknown area in this room that I've been trapped within since the day I was taken.

Despair, grief, anger.

I felt all of these in some form or another as I sat, trapped in this prison of _his_ making. Despair at the loss of my sight, grief at the loss of humanity, anger at my loss of freedom. It seemed oddly poetic that I would lose so very much in my life that few could even begin to comprehend how I'd managed to stay sane throughout it all.

The lace cover over my eyes grew slightly uncomfortable as I reached up to adjust it, only for my arms to be held back by those fucking chains that somehow prevented me from using my immense strength to do anything aside from limply hang from my position suspended above the cold floor that I _knew_ was nearly forty feet beneath myself. Why I couldn't do anything more than stay silent, I hated to admit was due to the disgusting piece of rubber in my mouth that was replaced every four hours like clockwork as the venom from my saliva ate through the material.

It wouldn't be long now that they would once again come and switch the gag for yet another one as I could feel the rubber beginning to break down. I had no choice but to hold the mixture of melted rubber and venom in my mouth, knowing that, if I were to swallow it, I would be sick and it would have nowhere to go but out of my nose. I'd learned that fact early on when these people had produced an object similar to this one at the first stages of my capture, the past object having been made of a crude wood that slowly began to rot away with my venom and pool into my mouth. I'd swallowed then, not realizing what I'd become, and threw it back up barely an hour later, the horrific mixture pushing out of my nose to drip down my face and body that I knew was naked for all to see. The burn was bearable, what was not bearable, however, had been the complete lack of my sense of smell for the next while, everything smelling like that rotten wood and venom mixture that sometimes haunted my thoughts to remind me what would happen if I were to vomit again.

As if like clockwork, a sound nearby drew my attention as the clattering of chains could be heard and I soon felt my bare feet press down onto the cold cement floors. I knew better than to do anything more than spit my mouthful of grotesque rubber into the bucket pressed into my bare chest, knowing what would happen if I were to speak to any of these monsters who had held me prisoner for so very long.

What year had I been taken? I couldn't quite remember much from before my humanity was stolen, before my eyesight was removed by these terrible people who had decided I didn't need that ability. I couldn't remember much other than my own name, a name I somehow felt proud to bear as it had meant a lot to someone along the way in my previous life.

The new gag was forced past my lips, breaking me from my thoughts as the man before me chuckled darkly. My brows drew together and I looked away, not wanting to be near this particular man whom I should have realized would make this event more difficult than either of the other two usually did. The woman was easier on me, never really doing much other than wiping away any venom from my neck and chest I might have drooled out before she returned me to my skyway prison. The other man, who spoke with an accent I didn't know in the least, mostly allowed me to spit out what lay in my mouth before thrusting the new gag upon me and hanging me back up.

This man, however, tried everything in his power to break me, though we both knew I was already broken. The touch of that horrible man finally stopped after I'd kept my mind wandering around on subjects that I remembered from the past- reciting the alphabet first in English, then in Spanish, counting to a thousand in Spanish, reading through a Latin copy of The Odyssey- and I felt myself be cleaned up between the legs, though I knew it was more for that man's protection than my own as he made it clear I could not get pregnant and that the woman I'd be around was his mate and would likely kill me if she knew what he did to me. Sometimes, I wished he'd forget that detail and allow his indiscretions to be found just so I could finally die.

After so long being trapped in this place, I longed for death, longed for that sweet release that I knew would be the only way I would one day see my family again. I knew that wouldn't happen, though, knew that I would forever be a prisoner to these people who had bought me for a pretty penny from the group that had originally stolen me away from those I held dear to my heart. What they wanted me for, I wasn't certain as it had been a very long time and, yet, here I was, still held chained in this place that I knew would one day be my grave.

"We're going traveling, little witch," The man spoke, his voice grating in my ears like the squealing of a mouse that refused to die to a snake. "It will only take a few hours, so we will return before that gag has a chance to dissolve completely. Remember what happens if you swallow."

I knew that I must have made a face because I could hear his dark laughter hit my ears as he walked away from the room, the sound of bars clanging as I was once again left to my own thoughts. God, if only I could see something or do something other than hang by my wrists so very far above the ground. I wished that I could move, see, speak.

I could hear the scuttling of a rat nearby, scraping at something as it squeaked quietly to itself and scurried away when it got too close to me. I wasn't sure what I'd become, but human I was not as I could smell the blood of the rat, a slightly heady scent that had a burn in the back of my throat aching for relief. Somewhere in my mind, I registered a word from tales someone had told me of beings that appeared to be humans but devoured the blood of others.

Vampire.

That's what I was, I was sure of it. It made sense to me as I heard things more clearly after that horrible burning in my body had sapped away the last of my heartbeats. I'd been in a drifting, unaware state for an untold amount of time before awakening, longing for something to quench my parched throat but unable to do so as I'd been locked up tight.

I knew I should be stronger than before, I'd heard the first men who had owned me speaking about how I should be able to rip them apart with my newborn status before something had been slapped onto my wrists and I'd felt all of the strength and will to fight leave my body. At the time I'd thought these people to be the witches I'd heard of at some point, how they'd managed to tamper down the speed and strength I'd only been able to experience for a moment before being locked away like some dirty little secret. I knew these people to be slavers of some sort, turning me into a defenseless toy that any could do with as they pleased.

Was I simply a toy to the horrible man? Was that why he kept me around and why the woman seemed to be somewhat more caring about me when she was alone? I couldn't be sure the reasoning behind why I'd be locked away when I would willingly align myself with these people if only for no other reason than to experience being outside for the first time in what felt like centuries. Maybe it had been centuries since I'd been locked away, I had no way of knowing if a day had passed or an hour as I looped myself into endless thoughts about where I was, why I was here, or the instances that had led to me being a slave, a prisoner within the grip of these inhuman people.

Another sound drew my attention and I turned my head to lock onto the person entering the cell I knew I was hung within. The scent was that of the other man, the one with the strange accent, as he entered the room. This made me slightly confused because the woman always followed the horrible man and would give me a moment to do something other than hang here in my bird cage of a prison. Had something happened that I wasn't aware of?

Come to think of it, this felt far too soon to be changing out the gag as I felt it still nearly whole within my mouth as the venom had barely had time to turn the rubber into mush. The man was here much sooner than I'd expected and I wasn't sure what to make of the situation as I was lowered to my feet once more and the gag was removed from my lips. I flexed my jaw slightly, though it wasn't really uncomfortable as I felt no pain any longer and was far too used to the spherical object being pressed into my mouth.

"Come," The man spoke quickly, his voice sounding intense. "We must leave."

I knew better than to speak, knowing that it would only bring me pain as I'd had that rule beaten into me for the first long while of me being a captive. Instead, I kept my head down and allowed this man to unhook my chain before he led me from the cell for the first time in my long life as an inhuman.

"You will keep your cover on your eyes," The strangely accented man continued as he led the way through the twisting tunnels of this place I had no memory of being through before. "When we get to where we are going, you will speak to none, you will do nothing."

I nodded, knowing better than to attempt to say anything as I sighed in relief at the cool air that hit my skin. I could feel a breeze as my toes sunk into thick grass and I heard the sounds of a forest around me. Was I in a cave somewhere before? It certainly seemed like it as I had felt the dampness within those walls and had heard none of what was beyond them in all the time since I'd been changed. It was nice to finally be outside, though.

"Hopefully James and Victoria know to meet me at the other safehouse when they finish with their games," The man continued almost to himself.

It occurred to me that, in all my time being these people's captive, I'd never once heard any of their names. I assumed that was who he was talking about, the horrible man being James and the woman being Victoria. I wasn't sure what he meant by "games" but it didn't concern me as I struggled to keep up with the fast movements of my current captor as he moved through the forest quicker than before, picking up speed the further along we got.

I followed along silently, wishing that I could remove this horrible thing from my eyes and see the world around me for the first time in my newborn life. I knew that I was no longer newborn as it had been a very long time since I'd been changed, but it still felt so new to me due to being trapped in that place for so very long, left with nothing but my thoughts and the reminder to myself not to swallow that disgusting glob in my mouth.

I nearly ran into the man leading me as he stopped his movements suddenly, causing me to trip and nearly fall onto my face as I tried not to plow directly into him. Another scent hit my nose and I struggled to decipher it as it smelled incredibly masculine and tantalizing to my senses. My head perked up and I turned towards the source of the smell, though I knew that the man was standing between me and whatever _that_ was. I itched to pull off my cover and take a look at whatever it was producing that scent, though I knew better as I would be likely to lose a leg or something for my blatant disobedience.

"What do you have there?" A voice practically purred, making an involuntary shiver run down my spine. I couldn't help but pick up on the clearly English lilt of the man's voice, though it was clouded by the guise of an accent similar to James and Victoria's.

"We've no quarrel with you," My captor said, his voice even but showing some unknown emotion within it that I was quick to catch. "We are only passing through."

"Does the lady wish to pass through with you?"

"She's with me," Came my captor's response, telling me that I would be wise to not speak or risk some horrible torture if I did so.

"That wasn't what I asked," The other man said with barely-withheld aggression in his tone, he was obviously losing patience with my captor's deflection. "I was speaking to the lady here."

"I'm sorry to say, but she is mute," My captor said quickly.

"How odd," The other man said. "I've never met a vampire who had lost a sense in any other way other than having it stolen by another. Has someone ripped out your tongue, then, pretty lady?"

I weighed my options quickly. If I revealed that I could, in fact, speak and that my captor was lying, this other vampire might rescue me and I would be free of these people at long last. However, the drawback being that he might be worse than my previous owners and make my life more of a hell than any of the situations I'd found myself in previously. There was also the chance that this man would lose to my captor and I'd already be hurt for attempting to cause trouble, though that seemed to be more of a terrifying prospect than taking my chances with this stranger.

Bracing myself for the repercussions of my actions, I slightly opened my mouth, revealing my tongue to this man while shifting my bound hands into his view. There was a long silence that stretched between us, making me fearful of whether or not I'd done something wrong and that maybe I'd fallen into a trap laid out by that sadistic man, James, in an effort to torture me in some new way. I stayed as still as possible, praying in my mind that something would stop me from being hurt any more than I already was by these people. Maybe a thunderbolt would strike me and I would finally have that death that I longed for.

There was a low growl and I could feel the body heat of the man moving closer, could feel as my captor took a quick step back. "Are you holding this woman captive?" The unknown man snarled out, his voice making me cringe slightly in fear.

"That is not your business," My captor replied politely, though I could hear the fear building within him. "Allow us to-"

My head jerked up when the man's voice was cut off quickly and a gargled sound escaped his lips. I was shocked, unable to move as I felt his body move away from me quickly as if he had dashed off away from me abruptly. Looking around with unseeing eyes, I took a tentative step back in fear that he might come back for me and hurt me. I flinched when I felt a hand on my shoulder and jerked suddenly, holding my bound wrists up in fear of someone hurting me.

"Shh," The other man's voice washed over me, though I still felt a small trickle of fear. "You're safe now. I'm not going to hurt you."

I wanted to believe him, I really did, but I couldn't bring myself to do much more than shake my head as my eyes strained to release tears I knew would never come. To my surprise, I felt the shackles on my wrists break away, clattering to the forest floor along with the chain in loud, metallic sounds that echoed through my mind. I kept my face down, though I reached up and brushed my fingers across the blindfold before dropping my hands again in fear I'd done something wrong and this was all still some trick orchestrated by James.

I tensed up when I felt hands cup my cheeks, turning my head up a bit and I felt warm breath hit my face at the proximity of this man. "I'm going to take off the blindfold, okay?" At my slow nod, I felt the ties near the back of my head loosen and clenched my eyes shut when the bit of lace fell away and allowed the breeze to hit my closed lids for the first time in a very long time. "You can open your eyes, pretty lady."

Hesitantly, I peeked one eye open and nearly gasped as I saw the pale moonlight coming down to illuminate the area I was standing in. I saw trees towering up, reaching far above my head as I looked up at the sky above myself. It was with wonder that I turned a slow circle, lost in the enchanting picture of everything around me as I did so and took in all of the sights I could. It had been so very long since I'd seen anything like this and it made a panging sadness fill my heart as I vaguely remembered sitting with someone long ago and looking up at the star-filled sky.

"What is your name?"

Looking over at the source of the question, I took in the figure of my rescuer. He was tall, about a head taller than my own petite size of… I couldn't remember. His hair was long and shaggy brown, scruff on his face as he looked at me with a small smirk on his lips. His eyes were what entranced me the most, a beautiful ruby that glimmered in the soft moonlight of the half moon that hung high in the sky.

I wet my lips slightly before speaking, pushing down the urge to run off when I heard the skittering of some animal nearby that promised blood at long last. "Noelle," I said quietly, wincing when the man gave a visible shiver. I'd forgotten the reason why I'd been gagged for all that time and why I had been beat mercilessly for even uttering one single syllable around anyone. I'd been told that I had something called a "gift" and that it was dangerous so had been gagged from that moment on, denied even the chance to beg for the death I'd craved.

Shaking away the sadness, I quickly moved my hands in a way that I'd been taught at some point for some reason I could no longer remember. " _I'm sorry, I don't know how to control that_ ," I signed to the man slowly, hoping he understood my hand motions at the very least.

"That's alright, pretty lady," He replied with a lazy smile. "My name is Garrett. Would you like something to cover up with?"

I thought about this for a moment, looking down at my bare body as I realized I was still as naked as I'd been held for so very long. I barely got the nod out before Garrett had shrugged off his jacket and pulled it over my shoulders, the length covering down to my mid-thigh. Signing a quick "thank you", I realized that I didn't know what to do other than stand there for a while and wonder at everything I could now, finally, see with my own eyes.

"When was the last time they fed you?" Garrett questioned, looking over at what I now realized was the decapitated body of my previous captor on the ground.

I felt no pity for the man and, instead, shook my head at Garrett before signing slowly once more. " _I never have eaten_ ," I admitted before looking away with shame filling my mind. Would he find me disgusting? A disgrace to his kind?

"How long did they hold you for?" He asked, his voice sounding tight.

" _I… I don't remember_ ," I huffed out a breath through my nose at this uncomfortable conversation. " _I don't even remember being human. It's all… foggy._ "

"What do you remember that might tell me what time period you were taken in?" Garrett questioned as he placed a hand on my shoulder to guide me through the forest.

I thought for a while on that, trying to remember anything that might seem relevant. This could help me if he knew how long I'd been locked away, it would help to teach me what all I needed to learn to live in this strange new world around me. There was a fog in my mind that prevented me from picking out anything extremely significant, though I remembered a few key details that could be relevant.

" _I remember there was some new playwright making his debut at the theatre before I was taken_ ," I signed with pursed lips and trying to think of anything else. " _And I remember a Queen by the name of Elizabeth._ "

This seemed to spark something in Garrett as he smiled fully and laughed a quick bark of amusement while shaking his head. "Well, I'll be damned," He muttered. "You have about a hundred years on me."

This made me pause mid-step as my eyes widened at the man. I was sure I'd heard him correctly, but I was still questioning how long it had truly been since I was imprisoned. " _I've been locked away for a hundred years?_ " I asked, my hands moving quickly through the words as I felt my body vibrate with my emotions rising.

"No," Garrett shook his head and placed his hands on my shoulders, lowering to my height as he kept his gaze level with my own. "Try about _four_ hundred years."

I whimpered at this news, realizing just how much time I had lost while being trapped away. I didn't even realize it had been so long, it had only felt like a year or two to me as I went through the motions of those holding me captive. My heart longed to see the family I didn't even remember, longed for a man I wasn't sure existed in the first place. I couldn't believe that it had been so very long and that my hopes of returning to those I loved were crushed into the black abyss of nothingness.

"I'm going to help you, Noelle." My panicked emotions stalled when I heard my name come across Garrett's lips and I looked up at him in question. "It's going to take you some time to grow accustomed to living in this world and, because you don't know the first thing about being a vampire, I'm going to help you, okay?"

I slowly nodded agreement to this, not even bothering to argue as I knew it would be stupid of me to try and do things on my own. Hell, I barely knew anything about myself or the time period I was from, let alone what I now was or how to act in this strange new world. It would be handy to have someone here to help me, though I wasn't sure how to go about figuring out how to speak without causing any problems as I knew my hands weren't going to work as my communication device if Garrett couldn't see what I was saying.

" _Will you…_ " I fidgeted with my fingers slightly under Garrett's scrutinizing gaze before taking a deep breath and continuing my signing. " _Will you help me to learn how to control my voice so I can speak again?_ "

A huge grin spread across the brunet's face, "Of course. Let's get some blood into you, hm? It's going to take a lot until you're back to full strength, luckily there's a place near here that you can feed on a few dozen people that won't be missed in the human world."

I chewed my cheek a moment, considering his words. I'd need to feed if I was going to figure anything out about myself, and the way it sounded, Garrett fed on bad people. Maybe it would be easy to feed on a human if I knew that they were horrible people like those who had held me captive, obviously they wouldn't put a dent on my conscience.

And, so, nodding, I smiled at Garrett and gestured for him to lead the way to my first meal in over four centuries.


	2. Hear Me

**A/N;** _Remember when I said that I wasn't going to post this story frequently? Well, I lied. I think I know what pairing {or, possibly trio?} that I want this story to be, but will be testing Noelle and how she interacts with these men in a few separate chapters._

 _I think I know where the story is going now and have ruled out the possibility of Alec as an option for her as he's purely loyal to the Volturi whereas I can easily separate Felix and Demetri from the coven. Although I enjoy both of those characters, I am doing a Volturi-heavy fic already so I'm just going to rule them out._

 _I'm also ruling out any of the Cullens as I don't want to bother with backstory on how they aren't already in pairs, plus it kind of puts a dapper to my next chapter. I'm working on chapter 4 right now and am nearly certain the TRIO that I want and hope you all enjoy what I've chosen as it is very much... unusual. I'm known for my strange choices in pairings and I will be no different here!_

 _Anyways! Enough rambling, Enjoy!_

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 ** _Word Count:_** _4,258_

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I couldn't help the wonder within me as I kept looking at the trees, the sky, the grass… everything as I stayed by Garrett's side through the steady pace he'd picked up. I could tell he was holding back for my own sake and felt strangely endeared by his consideration of my current state of disrepair. While I didn't know much about my previous life, I did know that I hadn't been cared for as I should have been for the past… four centuries- the idea that it had truly been so long left a foul taste in my mouth as of yet, making me pine for the loss of so very much time in my immortal life.

Through the forest, Garrett continued speaking in low tones, telling me first that he was a nomad and stayed to himself aside from sparse visits with the very few friends he kept close that were stationed in various covens around the country. I noted he said the word country instead of the more obvious choice of world, though, I didn't point that out as it became increasingly clear that neither he nor most other nomads had any desire to travel to other places abroad for fear of something I still did not know.

"When we reach town," The brunet continued as I began to scent the blood that had my throat clenching and venom flooding my mouth in anticipation. "You must stay hidden. I'll find you some clothes and then we'll work on using your lure to pull in prey until you're full and can think past the thirst."

This made me nod, realizing that the scents of people were becoming more apparent through the forest with my heightened senses that told me that I was going to be acting on pure instinct alone through the next short while. At this point, I didn't much care whether these people were innocent or not, so long as I finally had that horrible thirst taken away by the warmth and fullness that their lifeforce would provide me with. The change was drastic to how I'd been thinking before and raised my awareness on how animalistic my kind could be when driven to lengths such as the ones that I'd been taken.

Garrett had made it no secret that what had been done to me was illegal in our world, leading me to believe that there would be retaliation onto any whom had participated in my abuse throughout my centuries locked away and starved. I could see that the long raven locks I remembered sporting as a human were gone, a snowy white in their place that flowed almost ethereally as I ran alongside this man who had changed my life for the better. I don't remember how my body looked before, but I could tell that I was exceptionally beautiful, a fact that made me somewhat nervous in fear of another taking a liking to me and putting me into a similar situation as I'd just escaped from.

I voiced my dilemma to Garrett, swiftly tapping his shoulder as we slowed slightly so he could concentrate on my fluid hand movements. " _What if another tries to do as…_ " I stalled on the name of the man who had hurt me the most, pressing my lips together as I formed a different word altogether in reference to that horrid creature. " _The Rat did to me? What if they lock me back up again_?"

Garrett's eyes shone with amusement at my description of my most prevalent abuser, "You won't have to worry about that. I won't let anyone take you and, if those idiot Kings sense you out in the open now, they are likely to aid you in any way that they can. I would like to keep you sequestered away from them, if only long enough to allow you to learn a bit before being pressed with their countless offers- and they will offer because your gift is exceptionally rare, one that would be treasured by any who discovered it."

My lips pursed at his terminology, the word ringing through my mind clear as a bell as I could feel Garrett looking at me every few moments in case I had more to say. " _I don't exactly know what my gift even is_ ," I admitted shyly, clutching my borrowed jacket around my slight body if only for no other reason than to stop myself from saying anything that would seem stupid to this exceptional man who had risked his own life to save me- even if that particular captor was obviously the weakest of the three.

"You're a siren," At my blank look, Garrett chuckled and shook his head. "Think of your voice like… the most alluring thing you could picture then doubled, tripled, doubled again, and gift wrapped in a box of the most beautiful packaging you could imagine."

I chewed my lip at this, he thought I was beautiful and alluring. Should I be worried about Garrett wanting me for his own? It didn't feel like it, though what did I know? I'd been locked away so long that I couldn't tell if he was only being nice to me out of pity, some strange form of duty, or the fact that he was truly interested in me as something… more. It didn't feel like more than friendship, but, again, what did I know?

Garrett slowed to a stop a short while later, making me slow as I'd been matching my pace to his for the duration of our run. He looked around before pointing to a high tree branch on a thickly based tree that had red bark on it. "I want you to sit there and wait for me," He ordered, his voice low. "You'll be able to smell me even before I show up. If any others come before me, I want you to run circles in a wide arc around the town, don't get any closer than you are now or you'll go on a rampage and that's something we _don't_ want. Do you understand?"

I nodded slowly, thinking about this plan and finding it relatively intelligent as it would allow him tome to seek me out, especially if he smelled my scent somewhere it wasn't supposed to be. Giving him a light smile, I leapt into the tree, having to grip the bark halfway to the branch that Garrett had indicated as my legs weren't as strong as they should have been. Perched atop the branch, I cocked my head down at Garrett who was watching me carefully from the ground.

"Under no circumstances do you speak," He ordered in a low tone that I could still hear from the distance I was at. "I don't want you compelling the wrong person and giving yourself away. Me? I can talk my way out of why you don't speak. You, however, would be hard-pressed to be able to get anything through to the mind of the person you're speaking to with them rubbing up on you like a bitch in heat."

When I made a face at his analogy, Garrett chuckled and dashed away with a quickly uttered promise to return soon, leaving me to my solitary perch above the ground. There'd have been a time that I would have hated being ordered around the way he'd done by… well, anyone, really. It was for sheer self-preservation that I knew I should listen to this man's orders, something telling me that I could trust him implicitly with my care for the time being. How long my trust would be worth giving to Garrett was yet to be determined, but I knew that, for now, he'd earned it for nothing else than getting me away from that horrible group of vampires.

I swung my legs idly, closing my eyes as I wished for the opportunity to be able to hum or sing again, even speaking a single word without accidentally compelling someone would be lovely, honestly. It made me realize that, even if I had, somehow, managed to get away on my own, I would have been left in a world that I no longer knew and would likely have caused myself more issues than I'd originally had. It was slightly comforting to know Garrett was going so far out of his way for me, though I was determined to discover exactly why he had decided helping me was such a good idea.

The sounds of the forest had me relaxing a bit and the scents had that thirst gripping me once more with more force than before. It wasn't something I couldn't just force away with the thoughts of what Garrett had told me would end in a rampage that would bring more attention to me than there already was. I knew that those people who had held me for so long were bound to notice my disappearance before long, a situation that I slightly feared even if it had seemed like they'd had bigger problems if the fact that the accented man was eager to move me after being in that cave for as long as I could remember.

I didn't remember ever being moved from England, though it was a possibility it had been done early on when the memories grew foggy. I couldn't really remember my attack clearly, nor could I remember the voices of those first vampires who had kept me and "trained" me in my newborn days. All I knew was that there were two men with strange names that slipped my mind over the immense amount of time I'd been with the Rat and his crew.

How long was I with those three? I couldn't remember that detail any more than I could remember much other than my name. I knew I'd been a crisp twenty when I'd been taken, making me over four hundred and twenty years old, though I didn't know the exact year it was when I'd been taken or the year it currently was. Perhaps Garrett would help me to figure out how old I really was, he seemed to know more about my time period than even I, who had lived it at some time.

I caught Garrett's scent and opened my eyes to see him approaching from nearby with a bag in his hand and a smile on his face. Waiting until he gave me the go-ahead to come down from my perch, I took a moment to scent the air and noted several animals nearby but nothing that struck my interest as strange. I didn't know how I knew, but there were no humans or other vampires around for a short trek, which relaxed me a bit more because I really didn't want to hurt my chances of knowing this world before getting… what had Garret called it? Offers? I assumed he meant offers to join a coven, though that seemed distasteful as it seemed he thought they would only want me for my gift which was not something I was terribly interested in.

"I've gotten you a skirt and shirt," Garrett said after gesturing me down as he put the bag against the tree. "There's also a comb for your hair and undergarments."

Nodding, I peeked through the bag quickly, shedding myself of his jacket and holding it out to him absentmindedly. I was far too used to my nudity and it wasn't something this man hadn't seen before, so it didn't bother me for him to be there as I slid on the snowy white lace material of the panties and some object I quickly deciphered was to be worn to cover the gentle swell of my breasts. The skirt he'd mentioned was long and flowing, almost reaching to touch the forest floor and in a icy blue that I actually enjoyed the color of. With a shirt that had thin straps and came to a stop above my navel, I was clothed and sitting cross-legged on the forest floor to pull the comb through my pure white hair.

I realized another question and signed with the comb in my hand, " _My hair was black before, why is it white now_?"

"It has to be due to them starving you," Garrett replied, slinging the pack onto his shoulders before he leaned against a tree nearby. "It changes us when we are starved. I've seen it do other things like giving freckles, changing nail color, even so much as to give one I'd met a set of true fangs."

Pursing my lips, I passed the comb over to him before standing up. " _Are my eyes like yours_?" I asked slowly, looking straight into his ruby gaze.

Garrett shook his head, "They're black from hunger. When you feed on a human, your eyes will turn red. If you go the route a friend of mine has and feed from animals, they'll be a bright gold before too long."

I wrinkled my nose at the idea of feeding on an animal, they hadn't done anything to deserve to be attacked by one of us. Sure, one could argue that humans hadn't either, but I remembered enough from my human life to know that humans could be awful to each other- fighting and killing each other for no reason other than to simply do it. I'd never feel the urge to attack an animal when I knew that I could easily feed on someone who deserved the death I would eagerly grant them.

"When we get close, I want you to wait until we are in the bar before doing anything. We're going to go in long enough for you to be seen, then we'll walk back out and many are likely to follow you out," The brunet said as he led me through the forest to a large building teaming with people. My throat clenched but I beat down the urge to simply attack, I'd lasted this long without feeding, what was a few more minutes? "I'm going to put in earplugs when we walk back out and then you can speak to them to entrance them into following you into the woods. Once there, have at it."

I licked my lips in anticipation, ready for my first feed as we walked closer to the building with strange metal things parked outside of it by the dozen. These people smelt of some strange thick scent and alcohol, making me press my lips together and hold my breath to prevent attacking any of them too soon. It wouldn't do for me to show no self-control during this because I knew that it would only spell a more strenuous situation than I'd been in for the past four hundred years.

The building itself, the one that Garrett had called a bar, reminded me of the pubs that had laced the streets of London. It was certainly larger and with strange torches that dotted the outside, casting the area into a bright glow that reflected off the metal machinery. My eyes followed each and every human I saw milling about, dressed in leather clothing that showed off thick arms and generous bosoms. The only thing I could think was that they smelled delicious and I struggled to focus.

A hand on my elbow had me broken from a growl I hadn't realized I was producing from deep within my chest and I cast Garrett a grateful glance that he'd distracted me as I knew I'd been close to losing my fragile grip on control. He guided me into the bar, the place smelling of stale smoke, alcohol, and sweat. There were many more people inside here, all sending a quick glance towards Garrett and myself as we made our way to the long bar top that had four scantily clad women busy rushing to fill orders for drinks.

"What can I getcha, gorgeous?" One woman with brightly red curling hair and a face painted with makeup that made me think of those girls who worked for Madam Clara's back in London.

"Do you have a phone we might use?" Garrett asked with what I recognized as a flirtatious smile that had his pearly white teeth flashing. "Our car broke down up the road and I need to call a tow truck."

"Right over there, hon," The woman said, gesturing to a box that had me tilting my head to study the odd little squares with numbers on it from this distance.

When Garrett walked closer to it, he pulled me along with his hand still on my elbow. I wasn't likely to attack anyone as I could suppress that urge with my rising curiosity at these new devices and objects that were foreign to me. Garrett put silver coins into a slot on the machine and held a device to his ear that was attached by a long cable of some sort to the box with numbers. He watched me closely as some ringing sound came from the device and I heard a male voice answer with a quickly uttered "hello".

"It's Garrett," The brunette said aloud, making me wonder how he was communicating with someone on the other end of this device.

"Garrett, my old friend," The other voice said, changing his tone from bored to slightly cheerful. "It's been a long time. I'm sorry to say that I'm a bit busy right now, though."

"That it has," Garrett replied. "Sorry for bothering you, but I have a question to ask you, Carlisle."

"What is it?" The man questioned, sounding more cautious at this point.

"Do you know anything about a woman having been held captive about a hundred years before you were changed?" Garrett asked. "Would have been about 1592 that she was taken, I'm not sure how long she's been in America, but she would have been taken about the time that Shakespeare had his first showing."

There was a long, drawn-out silence that had me shifting slightly in anticipation. This man was about the same age as Garrett and they seemed to know each other well enough. It made me chew my lip as the silence stretched out for the next several seconds. I could hear muffled movement on the other end of the device and a drawer of some sort opening before the man's voice came back.

"There were stories of such a woman," This Carlisle man said quickly. "I had thought it to be simply rumors, though there were some who mentioned seeing her at some time or other being held by a nomadic coven in Europe until about 1800 when they moved her to America where all rumor of her dropped off completely. I'm sorry but that's all I know and I need to get back to my family, we have a problem that needs taken care of."

"That's all I needed, thanks, Carlisle," Garrett said, putting the thing in his hand back on the box and turning to me. "It looks like we know how long you've been in America, this will help us to figure out who we need to turn in to the Volturi to pay for their crimes."

I nodded, unsure how to deal with this information that had been offered to me. There was no doubt in my mind the year I'd been taken because I remembered the name Shakespeare as the playwright who I'd been headed to see the day everything had gone fuzzy. So, I only needed to know the current date to know exactly how old I was and it would solve another piece of the puzzle that was me.

Garrett gripped my elbow and guided me to the doors, pointing to the forest we'd been in before. "Head that way and start speaking or something to lure prey," He ordered, pulling some orange things out of his pocket and dropping his grip on my arm to allow me to walk away.

I cast a glance back to see him putting the soft objects into his ears and took a deep breath before letting the first notes of some tune I remembered from long ago flow out into the wind. I could see some of the humans turning to where I stood and slowly begin to make their way over, making me turn and continue walking into the woods as the notes from the harmony rose higher into the night as I led my prey away from the bar we'd just emerged from.

I kept walking for the duration of the song, bringing my prey further and further from the other humans so that I wouldn't be seen doing what I knew was going to happen in the next few moments. When the last notes drifted away in the wind, I turned to see that around thirty people had followed me and were staring my way adoringly, their eyes glazed over as they moved in close and several brushed fingers along my exposed skin.

Releasing the control I had on my instincts, I lunged for the first person, bringing the balding man's throat to my lips as my sharp teeth broke through his flesh with a soft popping sound. The taste of the blood flushed into my mouth with a light suck from me. I let the lifegiving liquid pool in my mouth and swallowed, relishing in the feeling as I felt the humans around me still running their hands along my body as I fed. I became dimly aware of this fact as the man dropped from my grasp and I figured that it would make my feedings much simpler that I could lure the humans away and not worry about them running or drawing attention to what I was doing.

I was on my fifth human when I noticed Garrett nearby, watching me as he leaned against a tree with his eyes now black and I could tell his own hunger had spiked. "Go give my friend company," I spoke softly to the woman on my left, running my fingers along her cheek as she gave a shaky sigh and closed her eyes at my touch. She moved over to Garrett and he looked my way questioningly, a grin forming when I only tilted my head before sinking my teeth into another of the humans.

We continued like this for the next several minutes, for every five humans I ate, I sent one to Garrett so that he'd be well-fed as well. It was the least I could do to thank him for helping me as much as he had, though I felt it would never be enough to repay that debt I felt I owed to him. It only took around thirty minutes for me to finally finish, letting out a happy sigh at the fire that seemed to be quenched from my throat at long last.

"I'm going to take my earplugs out now," Garrett warned. At my nod, he removed the orange objects from his ears and pocketed them, sending me a grin. "Not a drop on you, you're pretty prim while feeding."

Frowning, I looked down at my shirt and skirt to note that he was right, I hadn't so much as gotten a smudge on any part of my clothing, making me silently pleased. " _I didn't want to dirty my only clothing_ ," I admitted with a smile of my own. " _What do we do with them_?"

"Just leave them, there won't be anyone to find them here as far as you brought them. The wildlife will appreciate the free meal," He jerked a thumb in the direction behind him where I could see a large cat watching from the darkness with curiosity in it's eyes.

" _Waste not, want not, I suppose_ ," I signed with a shrug, wrinkling my nose in amusement when Garrett barked out a laugh. " _Where will we go now_?"

"It's time to begin your schooling," He said as I fell into step with him through the forest. "With your age, you should be fine around humans now that you've fed and we'll make sure you don't get to the point that you might lose control. For now, though, we'll head south and work on teaching you the ways of this world."

I clasped my hands behind my back and skipped along with Garrett, pleased that I'd made some progress since he'd found me the night before. I hadn't even noticed the sun rise and fall in the sky since he'd saved me, but that was likely due to the clouds blocking out the sky above, making it hard to tell what time of day it was. Sated and happy with my companion, I was ready to learn anything and everything I could about this world and more about the secret world I was part of.


	3. Hopeless Opus

**A/N;** _Okay we have a time skip here. I only did that because, honestly, it would have been really boring to read about Noelle learning about this world. You'll see her thoughts on some things that have happened during the time skip, so fear not! Anyways, let's get into the plot a bit, shall we?_

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 ** _Word Count:_** _4,296_

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 _ **{Two years later}**_

It had been an eye-opening experience these past two years in the company of Garrett. We'd been working hard to build my knowledge on the workings of this future world that I had never imagined would be one that I would ever get to see. It was all so shiny and new to me, drawing me into this device that Garrett had called a computer once we'd reached his compound.

The compound itself was more of a warehouse that somewhat reminded me of the storage spaces of the theatres that I'd frequented in the past. It was large and had vaulted ceilings, each area sectioned off by storage containers and glowing metal objects that he'd taken the time to name for my own knowledge. There was a space in the back of the building that had a drain in the floor and a large furnace where we could feed then burn the corpses of our meals.

I'd taken to spending the days on the computer, browsing through what were called "pages", though they didn't turn the way that book pages did and instead moved down with a small sliver I was told to drag down to see more of each page. I had learned so very much in a short period of time and Garrett was eager to answer any questions I had and was incredibly patient with my lack of knowledge, helping to build me up rather than make me feel unintelligent due to my own ignorance.

The nights, when most of the human population were asleep, we spent in an area outside of the town he'd told me was named Chicago. There were large areas that worked for our training sessions that could get rather loud as I soon learned that the sound of two vampires clashing was like a thunderous crack of lightning and would have brought attention to the humans had they been in the area. The meadow that I trained in was large with a ring of thickly rooted trees encircling it and a creek that bisected one corner. It was rather calm aside from the ripped up earth from the numerous impacts between myself and Garrett.

My gift was a work-in-progress, having taken quite a while for me to figure out how to pull it in enough to speak to Garrett in quiet tones. Over time, I had been able to work up the ability to speak for short periods of time before my grip on my gift slipped and I would have to fall back on my signing to speak to the man until I managed to regain control of my "siren song", as Garrett called it. The gift was definitely handy when it came to feeding as I could now target specific victims, meaning the two of us leaned towards stalking the streets of the city and capturing humans in criminal acts like the rapist I'd had for dinner the night before.

I looked up from my studies online of the time period I'd come from which had been labeled as the "Shakespearian era" in history. Garrett had a pensive look on his face, making me raise a brow at him in question as I stood up to smooth my skirt. Since that first outfit he'd bought me, I had taken a liking to the outfit style and had many different variations on the same clothing- skirts and shirts all in different colors that allowed me to interchange them in different pairings along with more of the lace undergarments that I found I really loved the look of. The only thing I hadn't kept the same was my bare feet, choosing to wear sandals that wrapped up my ankles to my mid-calf and displayed my slender feet, allowing me access into places of business as I'd been asked to leave at some point for my lack of footwear.

"What has you so thoughtful?" I questioned, walking up to the man to wrap my arm around his waist. With my past with abuse, neither of us were eager to step towards anything more than being the close friends that we were and I held more of a sisterly affection for him than anything romantic.

"Carlisle called and has requested my presence," Garrett replied and I could hear the indecision in his tone at this prospect.

"And you don't want to leave me alone?" I asked with my head cocked to the side. "You know I could always come with you."

"Carlisle's coven has… different eating habits than you or I," He said, studying my face closely as if he expected me to demand they change their ways.

This made me grin cheekily at the brunet, "I'm not unaware that some vampires feed from animals, Garrett. So long as they don't expect us to adopt their lifestyle, I am willing to go. It's the least I could do with all the information he's gathered for me through these past years."

And I was telling the truth. Carlisle had worked painstakingly to help gather any information on who it was that had turned me and held me captive before selling me to the trio of nomads that had made my life hell for all those years. When it was revealed that my previous captors had actually had a run-in with Carlisle's coven, there had been a small comradery between the vegetarian and myself. One of his coven had spelled the death of the Rat and a friend of sorts had given Victoria her end soon after. I owed him for more than helping me to gather information on the others who were still out there.

"Alright," Garrett conceded when he saw how serious I was about the situation. "Pack a bag."

"Where are we going?" I asked before turning to turn off the computer I had been working on before.

"Forks, Washington."

* * *

I fingered the choker on my neck as we slowed to a walk outside of the Cullen house. The black velvet held the insignia that aligned me with Garrett and told any other vampires that if they hurt me that they would have to deal with the nomad who had told me he was known as the "Patriot" and renowned for his abilities to fight. I didn't see the necklace as a way of him marking me as his property, merely an equal and part of this fledgling coven that consisted only of the two of us. It had been extremely touching when he'd presented me with the piece of jewelry after our first six months together and that was when I'd begun to feel a sibling-like bond with the brunet.

The nervousness I was feeling had nothing to do with the prospect of meeting Carlisle and his coven at long last, it was that there was something ticking in the back of my head that had me sensing some type of danger imminent. I'd always had this small sense of danger, something that triggered a fight or flight response so intense that I often found it hard to control my gift. Resigned, I realized I wouldn't be able to control my speech during this trip and would need to communicate through signing.

Tapping Garrett on the shoulder I signed a quick, " _I won't be able to control it for now_ " that had him nodding in understanding. I could tell that he was feeling just as tense as I was at this moment, something bothering us both about the reasoning behind this summons to rainy Washington. That brought a small amount of relief to me that my discomfort wasn't unfounded, though I still could tell there would be a series of events sure to be set in motion with this trip.

"Garrett!" A woman with auburn hair greeted. She looked every bit the housewife that I had seen in photos online that I often admired for their beauty and gentle kindness. This woman was no different, though I could tell that her eyes were to be what Garrett had once told me was a by-product of the animal diet that ruled her coven.

"Esme," Garrett smiled as he embraced the woman warmly. "I'd like for you to meet Noelle."

"It's very nice to finally meet you, Noelle," Esme said with a warm smile sent my way.

I waved with a smile, chewing on my lip when the woman sent Garrett a questioning glance. "She is too nervous to control her gift," He explained on my behalf.

Realization flashed across the brunette's features and her eyes softened in response. "There's nothing to be nervous about, dear," She assured me.

To say that it was strange to hear someone referring to me as if I were younger than them would be an understatement and I frowned at that idea. I knew for a fact I had a hundred years on her own mate and sire, meaning that there was no reason for her to treat me as if I were a child. I wondered how many others would look at me like a child due to my small stature and lack of complete knowledge of what all had occurred since I'd been turned into a vampire and that prospect had my frown deepening.

"You know she has about three hundred years on you, Esme," Garrett joked, lightening the situation in the only way that he knew how to do. "She's a fast learner and can actually almost match me in a fight blow-for-blow."

"That might come in handy," Another voice said from a doorway leading out onto the lawn where we were standing. I recognized Carlisle immediately through the descriptions that Garrett had supplied to me through the past two years. He was youthful as all of us vampires were, blond hair, pale skin, and those golden eyes signature of his diet.

"And why might that be?" Garrett asked before I had a chance to sign it myself.

"We have a… situation," Carlisle began, looking uncomfortable with the admission. "A situation that has drawn the attention of Aro."

I recognized the name immediately and narrowed my eyes. If Aro was interested in this situation, it couldn't be good. The Volturi had been after Garrett about bringing me to Italy for the past year after my existence had been discovered through unknown means. They mentioned that they only wanted to speak to me, but Garrett had informed me that Aro wanted nothing more than to add me to his collection of gifted vampires- vampires that followed his direction blindly much to my disgust. I wanted nothing to do with that coven and had done everything I could to delay having to meet them in the slightest. It looked like my time was up.

"What is this situation?" My companion questioned cautiously, he was never one to go into something like this blindly, especially if he felt it would put me in danger. That was one of the many reasons I loved Garrett like I did, he always put me over himself in a way no other had before.

"It's best if we show you," A third voice said from the same doorway that the other two vampires had walked out of. This one belonged to a boyish vampire with copper hair and looked like one of those models that I found distasteful. I couldn't see the appeal, but supposed there were some out there who found him attractive. His gold eyes narrowed at me and I rose a brow in question, looking to Garrett who grinned wolfishly.

"I would stay out of her head, Edward," Garrett told the boy. "Noelle's gift might work just as strong there as it does with her spoken voice."

This seemed to perturb the Edward boy as he grimaced and turned to walk back into the house with no other preamble. Garrett chuckled while Esme and Carlisle both sent me amused glances to which I simply tilted my head at. I didn't know if I'd done anything wrong, but I knew at this point that I didn't like Edward at all if he could read minds like it seemed that Garrett was hinting at. Was this his own gift? It was highly possible.

"Alright, show us your situation," Garrett said after a moment, gesturing for the pair of vampires to lead us inside.

Nodding, Carlisle and Esme walked toward the house with myself and Garrett following behind them at a slight distance. The home was admittedly beautiful, like something out of a magazine, though not something I particularly liked as I very much enjoyed the compound with it's simplicity and open space. The home was spacious, but could never compare to the warehouse that Garrett had welcomed me to as a home.

There were several vampires milling about, most being wary of the presence that had just entered- that of Garrett and myself. A woman with long brunette hair was holding a beautiful child. I could hear the hummingbird racing of her heart and found myself happy that we'd stopped to feed just an hour before as her heartbeat alone had venom flooding my mouth. Her blood smelled slightly of venom, though, which had me tilting my head and taking a step towards the child who watched me with equal curiosity.

In an instant, a blonde woman was in my face, growling at me with her teeth bared. I looked boredly up at her with unamusement at her display. I wasn't a threat to the child, merely curious and had given no reason for the show of aggression on her part. I concluded that this woman must have severe issues that stemmed from lack of pulling the stick out of her backside as she stood with her back straight as a board.

There was a snort from the copper haired Edward at my thought and I send him a lopsided grin before raising a brow at the blonde who was still annoyingly close to me. " _I mean no harm to the child_ ," I signed slowly. " _I'm merely curious about her_."

"Rosalie, back down," Carlisle ordered as a big man with short, curly black hair wrapped an arm around the blonde's waist to tug her away.

Sending a grateful smile to Carlisle, I continued moving over to the small child who was now smiling at me. I couldn't help the warmth that spread through me at the happiness that seemed to radiate from the child and I closed my eyes as she placed a delicate hand onto my cheek. It was amazing, to say the least, as the images of everything this child had seen passed through my mind. She concluded the display with images of me holding her before the connection broke and she was looking at me expectantly.

I looked at her mother and held up my hands in a reaching motion before signing in that slow pace I knew most required to see each sign separately. " _May I? She wishes for me to hold her_."

The brunette looked at Edward who nodded in agreement before the child was passed into my waiting arms and I could see the happiness from the girl at her new position. "Her name is Renesmee," The brunette told me with motherly love in her voice.

Garrett walked over and crouched down to get a better look at the child, his brows drawn together. I could tell he was trying to figure out why she looked like one of the immortal children that he'd told me were extremely illegal in our world. It was obvious that Renesmee was not one of these children as her heartbeat was loud enough for any to hear.

The man closed his eyes as the child touched his cheek in the same way that she had with me, a small chuckle of wonder coming over him at the revelations. "Incredible," He mumbled before turning to Carlisle. "I'm assuming you want us as witnesses to her being what she is? A hybrid, it's impossibly amazing."

Carlisle nodded with a tight-lipped smile, "That was what I was hoping and yes, she is incredible."

I passed the child back to what I knew was her mother and opened my mouth to speak when I noticed everyone tense up. It seemed that they'd all heard of my gift and were wary of what it could do as several of them were ready to throw themselves between myself and Renesmee. This caused me to frown and cast my eyes to the ground, now suddenly uncomfortable in being here once again.

"Do not speak around my child," Edward growled angrily.

" _I have control_ ," I signed quickly before shaking my head on a sigh and wandering outside. It was obvious I was no longer welcome when the rest of the vampires present had lost their warm smiles to be replaced by looks of concern and fear. I never wanted people to fear me for a gift I had control over, it didn't make any sense to me why they would suddenly act like that towards me when I'd been nothing but pleasant to any of them since arriving.

Leaping from the ground, I landed gently onto the branch of a tree nearby with my feet dangling to the ground below. I could hear Garrett defending me vehemently to the others, explaining that the control I had over my gift was sporadic and that I knew the moment I lost control to not utter a word, though none of them would relent on their fear that I would accidentally compel them all with my voice. It caused a derisive snort to escape me as I began picking at the bark of the tree beside me, allowing small pieces of wood to fall to the forest floor.

I heard someone come up to me, though I couldn't be bothered to turn and look as I was joined on my branch and it gave a soft shake at the added weight before settling. I could sense the intense gaze of the man beside me, his stare beginning to make me uncomfortable as I shifted slightly away from him. Raising my hands to sign something to him, I was surprised to feel his hands on my own, stalling my motions of signing.

"I'm sure you've a fine voice, lass," He said gently. "Feel free to use it."

I glanced up at this man and was met with piercing red eyes and thick and full blond hair that fell just past his collar. Before he could stop me, I quickly signed to him in my shock at his words. " _You aren't afraid of my gift_?" I asked, astonished he wasn't siding with those in the house.

The man gave a light chuckle and shook his head, "They're full of nothing but fear. They fear what they don't understand. You've a grip on it, aye?" When I nodded slightly, he grinned, "Then you should be free to speak when you know you won't be putting others in danger."

His voice was strangely comforting, reminding me of my days back in England. I wondered where he was from and found myself asking before the thought had a moment to register. "What part of England are you from?"

His grin widened when I spoke, making his eyes brighten a bit as he heard my own soft accent. "North Hampton," He replied easily. "You're from the western London area, I assume?" I smiled with a nod, finding it easy to relax around this unnamed man. "And how old would you be then, lass?"

I bit my lip and wrinkled my nose in amusement at his question. "You shouldn't ask a lady her age, you know," I chided.

The man hummed and tilted his head, "I'd assume you're right. How about a name and who it was that lived in that gaudy palace before your change?"

"Noelle," I responded while swinging my feet and enjoying my conversation. "I believe the Queen at the time was called Elizabeth. The first, as I know now that there have been more in power."

"It's right fine to make your acquaintance, Noelle," The man said with a dimpled smile that had me pressing my lips together. "And it seems that you've two hundred years less than myself. Elizabeth was better than that sod of a king, Edward II."

I could hear the distaste in his voice at the mention of that particular king and recalled what I'd heard of the man trying to limit powers of the royals. I found myself wondering if this man knew anything about the men who had changed me as he was from the same country as myself. Garrett didn't know much and there were no leads on the information I needed, so it wouldn't hurt to ask, I supposed.

"Do you know anything about a pair of vampires in the area at the time?" I asked with pursed lips. "They'd have been men with strange names. I don't recall what they looked like, but their names were odd to me."

The man rose a brow and looked at me in question. "What is this information to you, lass?"

I chewed my lip, unsure if I wanted to reveal my desire to kill these men before the Volturi could get ahold of them. "One of them changed me," I said, unsure how much more I wished to tell this man. "I merely wished to speak to him again."

The blond grinned wickedly as it was obvious he didn't believe me in the least. "You plan on killin' him?" When I shrugged, he chuckled darkly. "I wouldn't hold it to ya, lass. I've heard what they did to you. Truth be told, I'd like to get my hands on those two myself. Right bastard owes me a round in the dirt after he gave away my location to those imperialist pigs."

It took me a moment to realize he meant the Volturi, the realization that he actually knew these vampires came a moment later as I gripped his sleeve abruptly. "Tell me what you know," My tone was near begging and I saw the shiver run through him at the sound of my voice as my gift began to slip with my overexcitement. Signing a quick apology, I released his sleeve and lowered my head, returning to my picking at the tree.

The man sat in silence a moment before sighing slightly, "That gift of yours is a strange one. I'd have expected you to have more skill at controlling it if I hadn't known your story. Tell me, why are you here when you know that those pigs will be comin' in a few week's time?"

I shrugged, still refusing to look at the man again as I signed slowly. " _I owe Carlisle for helping me and Garrett saved me, I can't let them down_ ," I replied with a frown on my face before reaching up to touch my choker.

I wanted nothing more than to be content in my life, but knew that I would one day have to face the Volturi. They had been adamant that I would need to tell my story if my sire was ever found so that he could be held accountable for his actions and I knew that I needed more control over my gift to hide it from those people. It would be decidedly more difficult now that so many knew about my song and knew my appearance to give the information to Aro in exchange for being pardoned of any future crime.

Was it worth it, though? I wasn't so sure that being here was worth me putting myself at risk for discovery by the Volturi so soon. I owed Carlisle and Garrett, but I knew that my self-preservation was more important to both of them and it was obvious that they had plenty of other witnesses as I scented more unknown vampires in the area that were likely out at the moment. They didn't really need my help here and I wouldn't be missed with my gift causing them all fear as it had.

"I'll leave you to your thoughts," The man said, dropping swiftly to the ground. "The name's Alistair, by the way. I appreciate your company, lass."

I sent him a smile of acknowledgement before returning to my brooding, tossing around the idea of heading back to the compound instead of sticking around. Sure, it had been my idea to tag along, but I was feeling decidedly shunned by those in the house even as Garrett was still defending me and arguing with those that were uncertain of how much I could be trusted. It had a headache that I knew I couldn't get that was tickling at the back of my neck and I sighed slightly when I knew I would stay for now, if only to prove I wasn't as dangerous as so many had thought of me as.

Who knows? I might even make a few friends. The thought had me snorting at myself and, with a shake of my head, I leaned against the tree and watched the leaves on the trees moving in the breeze.


	4. Who We Are

_**Word Count:**_ _3,197_

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I wasn't sure how long I sat in that tree just watching the trees from my solitary perch. I knew that it must have been at the minimum of twelve hours as I saw the sky above beginning to gray with the first pale streaks of sunlight stretched behind the dreary clouds overhead. I'd run through every possibility in my head on whether I would stay or not and had come to the conclusion that I would stick around only long enough to see this through. Under no circumstance would I speak around any of the others, knowing that it would put everyone on edge and I honestly hated the fear in their eyes that I'd seen when I had attempted to speak the day prior, I hated it with everything within my small body as I knew exactly what it felt like to feel fear of someone opening their mouth to speak.

An involuntary shudder ran up my spine at the thought of what I'd gone through, an action I actually hadn't realized I still possessed the ability to do. I didn't consider my small ticks- such as scrunching my nose when I found something funny- to be involuntary in the same way as a shudder, those were just things that made me who I was. The shudder and anything like that were blatantly _human_ habits that I simply had always done, even without knowing that vampires generally had no drive to do these small motions that I always seemed to do without even thinking about it.

What made me so different?

I pondered on this a while as the first pale streaks gave way to a bright, yet dreary, day in this new place. I felt rain begin to fall and tilted my face up to the sky to allow the small droplets fall onto my granite-hard skin and roll down my body much like the water would have if it had fallen onto any other solid object. My clothes soon clung to my body, though I held no care and didn't even feel the chill I knew I once would have felt in this particular situation.

Did I want to be human again?

This thought made my crimson eyes open to stare up at the falling rain as I considered the idea. I'd been only twenty when I'd had my humanity stolen from me, on my way to the theatre with the man I knew had been courting me at the time. I vaguely remembered the intense amount of love I had for this nameless, faceless man that had been one that I was so excited to spend the remainder of my days with. Would we have had children? Grandchildren? Would we have drifted apart with time? I would never know after it had all been stolen from me that fateful night.

I remember some amount of despair that I had gone through at some point prior to that, something akin to heartbreak, though I couldn't be sure as this felt deeper, more personal. Maybe I'd lost someone? It was strange thinking on my past this way, like reaching into a tornado and trying to desperately grasp at a thread that consistently stayed just out of my outstretched fingers. The memories of my past were like those threads, so close and, yet, so very far. There was a haze that I just couldn't peer through as hard as I tried and it was frustrating to no end.

I didn't mind being a vampire, if I were to be honest with myself. The feeding didn't bother me overmuch as I took to feeding off of those who deserved their deaths. Not sleeping didn't bother me either as I could sometimes just drift in my own thoughts for hours or days at a time with no concern for what was going on around me. When I had spent nearly five days simply drifting, the only problem had been that I'd needed more than my usual three humans to quench my horrible thirst. That wasn't really a problem, though, because it meant fewer disgusting people to wreak havoc on that world I was no longer a part of.

For so very long I had dreamed and hoped for my death, to be swept away in the sweet embrace that the darkness would provide me with. I remember that so clearly from my time being imprisoned, remembered wanting to beg those horrible people to just end my life as I knew there had been nothing else for me. I was at a catch twenty-two with myself when I'd been held captive- wanting desperately to die, but also wanting to taste freedom once more. The dilemma had been solved that day when I'd been asked that question by Garrett in the woods as I'd been drug around, naked, by that man with what I now knew was a French accent.

My life had changed in the moment that my captor's words had been cut off as he'd been beheaded and I was finally, at long last, set free. I had made the decision to live when Garrett had saved me and I didn't regret that one little bit. What I did regret, however, was insisting I come with him here. These people feared my power like I feared those people who had locked me away for four hundred years, leaving me in a room, suspended above the ground, bare assed naked, blind to what was going on and never allowed to beg for my own death.

I didn't want to scare people, I wanted friends to prove that I was no longer as lonely as I had been for so very long. That wasn't likely to happen so long as I couldn't keep a steady grip on my voice, couldn't withhold my gift every moment of my life until it was needed. It didn't make me proud to tell myself that it wasn't fair, but it wasn't. The mind reader could flaunt his abilities, the seer that I'd been told this coven had was able to announce visions, but I couldn't speak when I had a grip on my gift? That was plain discrimination and it left a foul taste in my mouth as I huffed, looking at the gray clouds swirling high overhead.

"I swear if I hear that huff one more fucking time," I heard a voice say from inside the house behind me and I clenched my jaw. "I'm not going to be held liable for what I might do."

Testing the waters, I let another huffing sigh escape my lips as I leaned my head back onto the tree and listened as the rain continued to fall. I didn't flinch as the doors to the house slammed open and angry stomping made its way toward me. I made no move to signify I was paying attention to the person I could feel glaring at me from beneath me, continuing to stare off into the distance in the otherwise serene scene before me. It was rather beautiful here and I began to wonder what other places in this country were as lovely as this one.

My peace was ruined when the tree began to shake, drawing me to blink before slowly drifting my gaze down to see that irritating blonde, Rosalie, shaking my tree in frustration. I knew better than to speak as I heard more movement behind me and realized that others had wandered out to see the confrontation that was about to happen. The shaking stopped and I decided that that would be the end of it, letting my gaze fall back to the trees in the distance as the rain continued to fall, night would come soon.

"Fucking pay attention to me, you frosty bitch!" Rosalie snapped angrily, making me look back down at her with a bored expression on my face. I had no patience for immaturity and certainly not from someone who was supposed to be more than three times the age that they appeared to be. It was rather unbecoming of a lady, honestly.

My lip twitched at the snort that came from the mind reader and I could feel the anger from Rosalie grow as she let out an irritated screech. One moment, I was perched happily on my tree, the next moment, the tree had toppled to the side with me still in it. I was able to slide from the branch to land elegantly onto my feet, my slightly damp skirt flowing with the movement. I looked at the tree as it crashed to the forest floor, ruining the beauty that I'd been admiring before, it was a shame, honestly.

" _That was rather unnecessary_ ," I signed with an expressionless face when I turned to the fuming blonde. " _The tree did nothing to you._ "

"I don't give a shit!" Rosalie roared in anger. "Stop your fucking pouting and move the fuck on with your life!"

I tilted my head at this, not understanding where this animosity was coming from. " _I think you should calm down, that language isn't proper to be using in front of a child,_ " My gaze flickered over to where Renesmee clung to her mother and her brows were drawn together as she watched the situation before her unfolded.

"Don't fucking tell me what's proper!" The blonde snarked back, baring her teeth at me.

That was a bad move, if she made the move to attack me, I would not hesitate to use my gift on her to stop her in her tracks. I was completely calm after my night contemplating life and knew that I could compel her alone without affecting any of those other vampires who were watching on with caution. I'd be quick to stop her before she could even take a full step towards me, maybe I'd even compel her to set herself on fire if I was feeling particularly nasty, she'd done nearly enough to earn that simply by trying to attack me, if that was her plan.

"Don't attack her," Edward spoke quickly, obviously having picked up on my plan.

"I'll do what I fucking want to," Rosalie ground out at Edward a moment before she leapt towards me.

I let a pleasant smile grace my features and opened my mouth, my eyes flashing with amusement when she halted her movements in an instant and her eyes went wide with fear. Closing my mouth again, I pressed my lips together so as not to laugh at her dumbfounded expression. It was horrible of me to have even made them all believe I would use my gift on one I still considered an ally, but it had been quite satisfying to see the fear in her golden eyes.

" _Unlike you_ ," I signed clearly enough for everyone to see each exaggerated movement. " _I would never attack someone who I considered an ally. I did not come for you or anyone else here except for Garrett and Carlisle. It is only as a favor to Carlisle that I don't make you burn yourself alive for attempting to attack me. Remember this the next time you think you have some foolish idea that I've somehow insulted you with my very existence…_ " As an afterthought, I lifted my hands once more to add one last part. " _Little girl._ "

I looked over to where Garrett was watching me with apology in his eyes and I smiled gently at him to show I wasn't upset about what had happened, it was only natural for a fearful animal to lash out when not trained properly. The snort from Edward made my nose scrunch up a bit before I signed to Garrett quickly, telling him I was hungry and that I would be back later. After earning a nod from him, I turned and skipped along with my hands clasping at my lower back.

My thoughts drifted once again, settling on the most obvious choice of what had just happened. I didn't want others to fear me, but I also wouldn't tolerate someone attacking me for reasons that were unfounded. I'd not done anything wrong and that woman had thought she needed to attack me, granted I'd prodded the bear with a stick, so to speak. I hadn't even realized that I'd been sighing until I'd picked up that snarled remark from Rosalie. After that, I'd been frustrated enough to try my luck with the situation and it had led to me purposely instilling fear into her and the others who had seen it all happen.

I slowed to a level of walking just above human speed and frowned at my thoughts, a metaphorical storm cloud hanging above my head even as there were real ones further up. I hated to think I'd made her terrified of me for anything, but she'd pushed my hand by jumping at me when I'd very honestly done nothing wrong. She needed help with the animosity within her and I knew that, if she would have given me the chance, I would have listened to her problems and tried to help her through them, it was just in my nature to want to help others- hence, why I was even in Washington to begin with.

That wasn't going to happen, though, not now that I'd made her fearful of me possibly using my gift on her. I would never do it unless she attempted to attack me again, I would even tell Garrett as much to assure him I wasn't likely to be speaking for the time we remained in Washington. It was in my best interests not to do so and I was all about self-preservation, except when I wasn't. The thought had a giggle pulling from my lips and I tensed when I heard a voice drift towards me from the left.

"It is nice to hear that you are not letting the child get to you."

I didn't recognize the voice, making my hackles rise as I skidded to a stop and dropped into the defensive stance that Garrett had ingrained into me during the first months of my combat training. I scanned the small males before me, both of them grinning widely at me as I scanned their postures. It took a moment to dismiss them as threats, straightening myself from my crouch and feeling disappointed as I was still smaller than these shorter men.

They bore the same crimson eyes as I did, though a slight sheen had come across their eyes that I could find no reason for. The smaller of the two had dark hair and a strangely olive undertone to his skin, making me confused about that until I remembered the dark skin of my old captor. The other had hair that was almost as pale as my own, though I could tell his was not because he'd been starved as I had been, it was all natural. The thing that set them apart, though, was the obvious point to their ears that peeked out from beneath the blond's lightly shaggy hair and held close to the brunet's head. It was strange to see, but I noted that detail as it being likely that they'd actually been devoid of blood for some unknown amount of time in their lives- however long they had been.

I rose my hands to sign to them when the blond smiled widely and shook his head quickly, holding up a hand to stop my motions. "Please, speak if you have control," He urged, his smile being shared by his companion. "We would never expect a lady such as yourself to attack us with no reason."

This made me hum slightly before watching the two warily and lowering my hands to my sides, though I was still keeping my guard up in case these two decided to attack me. "Who are you?" I asked softly once I was sure my grip on my gift was secure.

"My name is Vladimir," The blond greeted with a short bow. "This is my brother, Stefan." The brunet bowed in turn, their smiles still matching one another. "May we have your name, my lady?"

"Noelle," I responded, unsure how I was supposed to act around the two of them. "Why were you following me?"

"Forgive us," Stefan spoke for the first time, sharing the odd accent that his "brother" did and the sound was pleasing to my ears as their tongues rolled over the words lightly. "We were merely interested in making sure that you were not holding any ill-will for our dear friend's… daughter."

I pressed my lips together, so these two knew Carlisle, that might make them okay. My eyes drifted over to where I heard cars nearby leading to the nightclub I'd been heading for. It was nearly dark and I was actually very hungry, it was beginning to itch in the back of my throat and I wanted nothing more than to feed when I was hungry- which was more frequent for myself due to how long I'd been without blood- after being starved for so very long. I just wanted to get this conversation finished so I could get on with my night.

"I hold no hard feelings for neither Carlisle nor Rosalie," I said slowly as I struggled to keep ahold of my gift. "If that was all you wanted, I need to feed and would appreciate the opportunity to get back to that. You see, I feed when I'm hungry due to my past, if you could understand."

"Ah," Recognition flickered over Vladimir's face at my words and he smiled pleasantly now, the new smile making his features more handsome than they had been before. "You were the one who went through those atrocities."

I nodded, not willing to say any more on the matter. As it was, I would either confirm or deny their suspicions, but I was very much itching to get a move on with my task of finding something to eat. "I have been free only for two years," I said. "If you insist on continuing this conversation, I would very much like to continue on my way into the city, at the very least."

"You do not mind if we join you?" Stefan questioned, falling into step on one side of me as his "brother" took up my other flank.

"Your eyes look dark," I mentioned with an indifferent shrug. "I'm a lure of sorts, I should be able to get us something easily without drawing attention."

This seemed to placate the two for the time being as they fell silent, allowing me the moment to breathe in the scents around me. They held separate scents, though strikingly similar to one another, as if they were, indeed, related, though not as closely as brothers. Each smelled like a sweetened dust and wine, though Stefan had more of a dry white tint to Vladimir's strong red in their scents. It was slightly heady but I mentally shook off the thoughts and continued on to my destination and felt relieved when the edges of the city came into view.

It was time to hunt.


End file.
